Flesh and Bone
by Needless Noodles
Summary: AU. Aizen is plotting in another realm and the leaders of Soul Society have sent Ichigo and a team to investigate. Things become even more complicated once plots are discovered and histories uncovered. Naruto's world just got bigger. Bleach crossover.
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Flesh and Bone  
**Chapter:** 1  
**Words:** 2980  
**Summery:** AU. Spoilers for all seasons. Aizen is up to something in another realm and the leaders of Soul Society have sent Ichigo and a team to investigate. Things become even more complicated once plots are discovered and histories uncovered. The world as Naruto knows it has just gotten bigger. Bleach crossover.  
**Disclaimer:** No own Bleach or Naruto. I know this is not an original idea, but I like to think I've done an original-like spin on the Bleach/Naruto crossover. I'm ridiculously bad at up dating so don't expect a timely schedule or anything.  
**Date:** 7/4/2008  
**A/N:** For those who have already read chapter one, yes this is a new one. I suggest going back through the chapters again. I've rearranged things and changed some parts so that the story flows better and makes more sense. Also, the quality towards the end may seem not so good, or rushed, and I admit, it is rushed. I was tired when I wrote it here it is weeks after I'd already finished everything else and still can't fix it. I think the chapter is as good as I can get it. If I try any harder I'm likely to make myself bored with the story all together. And that is never a good thing.

* * *

**Mahou Senkai**

* * *

**Two Weeks Before**

Aizen sat on his raised throne looking down on his followers. He was going there soon. He was going back to a place that he had helped create, where he would be sure to make his plans succeed. The fruits of their efforts would not be lost. He'd had an epiphany when Ulquiorra had told him about the girl. She would be essential to his plans now. Those in Soul Society wouldn't realize he'd even returned to the _world _before it was too late.

He stood and walked out of the room smirking. The gathered Arrancar followed.

* * *

**Present Day (ep142 deviate)**

The room was silent. Everyone had gathered at Orihime's apartment after discovering her disappearance. They had all waited impatiently for Hitsugaya to contact Soul Society only to hear that Orihime was with Aizen and now this. No one could believe what Yamamoto was saying. The members of Hitsugaya's advanced squad avoided looking up as none of them were willing to speak out against orders. It was to be understood that this was war and as in war there would be casualties. Yet they all felt the sting of betrayal. Orihime had left with the enemy on her own accord.

Ichigo refused to believe that. _Inoue didn't have a choice. She wouldn't betray us. He was the first to break the silence._

"What are you saying?! That I'm suppose to just sit here and do NOTHING!" The others looked to him, his eyes blazing in rage. Rukia should have known he'd do something like this. "I'll tell you right now that I'm not doing that. I'm not someone you can order around, and if that means saving Orihime alone, then that's what I'll do." His voice held contempt and a finality that left no one believing he wouldn't do exactly as he said.

"Ichigo!" Rukia couldn't believe she was hearing this. _He risked everything coming to Sereitei to save me from execution. It only figures he'd do the same for Inoue._ Though she knew that in-spite of his amazing powers and abilities under pressure, Ichigo didn't have nearly the experience needed to fight against Aizen and the entire Espada.

The large screen of the video-conference device flickered as Yamamoto-sama was called away. He'd given them their orders and was assured he could leave the rest to Juushirou.

Ukitake was far more expressive than the General, being genuinely concerned since he'd had the pleasure to meet the sweet tempered, powerful young lady. He didn't like the notion of leaving Orihime in the clutches of Aizen any more than her friends did, but there was nothing more any of them could do at the moment. There was more to the betrayal than they could see. Of that he was certain.

"No one said you had to do that, _baka_. Let's hear what Ukitake-taichou has to say."

The man in question turned his head away from the screen as a coughing fit consumed him. It ended quickly, of which he was thankful for. He cleared his throat and continued with every-one's attention on himself. "As I was saying, the reports from the research labs say that from Earth they made use of a senkaimon through which an anomaly was used to reach the forbidden realm. Aizen forced his way through, breaching the outer wards. If too much spiritual pressure is forced through the protective barriers it would collapse, spelling devastation for the entire world.

"As of now, the plans have changed. You must find your way to the Continent and stop Aizen. It's imperative that you do this," he paused to make sure he still held a certain someone's attention. "Kurosaki-san, this is why you cannot rescue Inoue-san."

He was more serious than most of those present had ever heard him. There had been an undertone of panic in his voice and Rukia found herself concerned about the details they weren't being told. She watched Ichigo out the corner of her eyes. He was fuming, she could tell. His expression remained curiously blank, yet she knew he was upset with the news.

"What about Orihime?" He calmly asked. "I wont leave her with them."

"We're pretty certain she should be fine. She left under her own will," he continued, cutting Ichigo's objection off. "Rather or not she had a choice, the fact remains as is." He let a small smile show and for a moment, Rukia thought the 13th division taichou looked exhausted. "You have three days."

The screen went black.

"I don't like this." Rangiku muttered. Her arms were folded under her well endowed bussome in thought.

Toushirou snorted glancing back over his shoulder from his perch on the windowsill. "Chances are she'll be with Aizen. Find and stop him and you can save the girl." He directed his comments to Ichigo who'd been headed for the door.

"So what's this continent he was talking about?" The orange haired teen asked with his back to the other occupants.

"He doesn't mean the Americas, Asia or the sort." Ikkaku spoke tilting his head from side to side and stretching his arms out before him.

Yumchika resumed his place on the wall, eyes closed. "You wouldn't need a gate to get to those places."

"There's only one person here that I know could get us there."

They all knew who the short captain of the 10th division spoke of.  
_  
Urahara Kisuke_.

* * *

**A Few Days Later**

Ichigo wakes up to the sound of his family having breakfast. Though he thinks the wake up call could have been from the birds outside his window. Or even the fact that sleep had been hard to come by, eluding him, in the last three days; even after training to exhaustion. Mostly, he knew it was because the day had finally arrived. He could finally _do_ something other than sitting and waiting. He'd been told to rest while the others had returned to Seretei for special reasons. They shared less and less with him these days. _Not that they were telling me much to begin with._

He sits up, arm rested on his knee as he looked out the window.

It was a beautiful day.

That is, until a mass of brown cotton attached itself to his face.

He could feel the muscles twitching as he closed his eyes in annoyance. "What the hell!" he said through clenched teeth.

"Ichigo-nii-san?" the mass ventured. Even with his head bowed the lion plushi could practically feel the snarl on Ichigo's lips.

He grabbed the stuffed animal by the back of it's head, tempted to tear it to shreds. Ichigo then proceeded to stalk from his room and down to the short hall. He opened another door and kept his gripping hold on the struggling toy.

"Kon, I've told you before, but it just never seems to get through all that cotton you call brains."

"Ichi--Ichi--Ichigo! Sumimasen. Gomen, gomen. Just stop already. I promise. I promise I wont violate the rules again. Just please don't leave me here!"

Kon's pleads fell on deaf ears. Ichigo smirked and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him. On his way down the stairs he could hear the screams of Kon, the lion plushi--strapped to the same shelf that held the rest of Yuuzu's toys and dressed as one of the dolls in a pink frilly dress and hair of red curls.

Ichigo made his way to the kitchen, deciding that he was hungry enough to join them for breakfast. Of course, Isshin being his normal self attacks at the first sight of his son --if one could call that normal --and Ichigo dodges only for his father to fall flat on his face hitting the last step of the stairs. Isshin then proceeds to act as obscenely as usual crying before the larger than life poster of his wife stating that their son was cruel and growing up.

Ichigo quickly finishes his breakfast and races up stairs to change and pack a small bag. He sighed, deciding that he would need Kon. Ichigo packed the struggling plush and raced back down the stairs.

Half way out the door Ichigo paused as Isshin called out to him.

"Yeah, dad?" Ichigo asked confused at the sudden serious look Isshin sported.

Isshin reached out with a hand placed on his son's shoulder and smiled. "I'm proud of you, son."

Ichigo, of course, was flabbergasted. He gave his dad a curious look before thinking nothing of it and continuing on his way. He's the last to reach Urahara's shop and joins everyone in the basement training room. Sado was standing near Uryuu not too far from Ururu, Jinta, and Tessai. Uryuu was dressed in his usual Quincy clothes, pushing up on his glasses with an air of superiority. Nothing new there. Sado was the same as ever; stoicly dressed in browns and red. Ikkaku and Yumichika were opposite them, standing next to Toushirou and Rangiku. As he approached Rukia, he noticed that everyone seemed to be relaxed in their own way, having been waiting on him.

"You better switch." Rukia orders. She had an air of determination that startled Ichigo just slightly.

"Uhn."

As soon as he unzips his bag, Kon pops out, still in the dress Ichigo had forced him into. "TEME!" The stuffed lion pinched Ichigo's cheeks before he could stop him. "Treating me like this."

Ichigo grabs him, squeezing harder than necessary and throws him to the ground. Before Kon could scramble away, Ichigo steps on him, grinding the lion into the dirt. "How do you like that, ya' bastard? Huh?"

Rukia would have been unnerved by the substitute shinigami's manic laughter and far too pleased smile had she not seen the display before. "Would you children knock it off!" She shouts, breaking them up by knocking Ichigo over the head.

"Itai--What the hell was that for!" he yells at her while rubbing at the back of his head.

"Ichigo no baka!" Kon yelled into Ichigo's face before the boy stuffed his hand into the plushi's mouth and pulled out the gikongan.

Yoruichi hopped on to Ichigo's head once in shinigami form. "Now, now, children. We don't have time for that." No matter how many times Ichigo was witness to it, Yoroichi's talking black-cat form freaked him out.

"So what's with the weird looking poles?" Ichigo asked instead, getting down to business.

Kisuke simply grinned, eyes disappearing under the shadow of his hat as he leaned forward on his cane. "I'm glad that you asked, Ichigo. This," he replied, pointing a hand behind him at the two very large poles that were nearly connected at the middle near the top. "is a slightly different version of a senkaimon. I like to call it a '_Rabbit Hole_'. Instead of passing between the worlds, it will allow you to travel between. . . well, lets put it this way: Had you had the use of one of these, which this is the only one might I add, then your trip into the _Soul Society_ would have been a lot easier."

Ishida stepped closer, his intellectual mind burning with curiosity. "So then this would allow one to pass through spiritual barriers?"

"It's more complicated than that. A lot more than you can imagine." Toushirou stated. Truth be told, he was interested in how the gate worked as well.

"How does it work?" Renji wondered.

Tessai appeared next to Urahara with his drawing pad. "Okay, as you should know, there's Sereitai and Earth and in between is the void-- where Orihime was taken." he explained pointing to the picture with two circles connected by a tunnel. "Now, for those in spiritual form, a normal senkaimon connects the two worlds directly." Tessai then flipped to a picture with two touching circle and a line between them. The Kanji for Senkaimon pointing to the line. "Where you're going you don't have to worry about traveling in between worlds. Not literally anyway. You'll still be on Earth, just slightly out of phase with the rest of us."

Ichigo was following so far, even without paying the ridiculous drawings any attention. He'd gotten enough with looking at Rukia's grotesque work whenever she tried to explain things to him. They never helped. "What's that suppose to mean?"

Kisuke sighed. The Continent was a complicated and sore subject. Two thousand years of history that ended two-hundred years ago. There was just no way he would be able to explain it all.

"The Continent, although made from a part of this world, is out of phase with it. No one can see it, no one knows exactly where it is. Not even us Shinigami. You could walk right over the exact location and never even know it was there. The Continent is like a world unto itself. Now, this little contraption," he said patting the side of one massive four-by-four. "with the help of one of these," Tessai held up a clear sphere with a single sakura flower in the center and handed it to Urahara. "a poroto-kii, or _Alice_ as I like to call her, will allow you to not only shift out of phase, but transport to your destination. After that, you're on your own. There's no communication between phases."

"We've gotten permission to handle things however we see fit once we've evaluated the situation. There shouldn't be too much of a need to contact anyone on the outside." Toushirou announced.

"Well then," was Kisuke's only reply before he walked to the center of the space between the two pylongs and began to write something on the dirt with his cane. The symbol glowed white before spreading and leaving behind a black circular patch. "If you would all be so kind as to stand here." He looked up with a smile on his face.

Ichigo shivered. The crazy clogs-and-hat was getting some sort of sadistic pleasure out of this. He was sure of it.

Urahara watched as everyone except for Jinta, Ururu, and Tessai made their way to the indicated spot. He then handed the sphere to the short child-like captain with a benign smile. "You'll all need to make sure you're touching _Alice_ in some way," he smirked as several people twitched at the innuendo. "You included, Yoruichi-neko." He took the few steps needed to be positioned on the outside of the gate as the black cat jumped onto the sphere--someone grunted at the added pressure.

"Are you sure you're ready to do this?" He asked seriously, catching the eye of those preparing to depart. No-one spoke. "There's no turning back once we start. I can't interrupt the process unless you're ready to have both your body and soul vaporized into dirt." The smile on his face had Ichigo scowling.

"Just get on with it already!" The substitute shinigami growled out.

"If you say so," was Kisuke's reply before placing his hand on the wood next to him. His hand glowed with reiki before the power seeped into the wood, lighting it up with glowing Kanji characters. The characters rapidly appeared from beneath his hand, traveling up the wood on both the legs of the senkaimon. Wind whipped around them as the power built and as the characters on the wood disappeared the same they originated, spiritual energy crackled between the gap of the bisected pieces of wood above them.

Ichigo looked up just as a pure beam of spiritual energy shot down through the sphere before growing to surround them--though not passing beyond the circumference of the black circle they stood on. He then noticed a slight tingling in the hand that was held to the sphere and watched as the sakura flower glowed pink before exploding to surround them in a opaque pink bubble.

They all looked to Kisuke as he started to speak again, one hand holding his hat to his head the spiritual power continue to make wind blow around them.

"One more thing!" He called over the force of the wind. "You'll have to wait for reinforcements before being able to come back." Everyone looked up with varying degrees of suspicion.

"And why the hell is that?" Ichigo cried.

"At the moment, you're on a one way trip. I haven't made the return key yet."

"And _now_ you tell us!?"

Understandably, everyone was pissed. Yet before any of them could voice their displeasure, the sphere in their hand burned and pulsed before everything exploded. The last thing Ichigo remembered was pink before everything went black.

* * *

**A/N:** It's been ridiculous to write the ending of this chapter. But I had some fun with. I thought it would be like Urahara to explain by confusing and to give his creations odd names. Really, Rabbit Hole and Alice?

There's bound to be some mistakes since this isn't Beta read and isn't likely to ever be.

I haven't been keeping up with Naruto since Shippuden came out, but I'm fairly sure of some of the more important things and they'll find their way in. As for Bleach, well, I stopped watching after episode 142 (I think). I'm not too keen on the new characters.


	2. Chapter 2

**Title:** Flesh and Bone  
**Chapter: **2  
**Words**: 2030  
**Summery:** AU. Spoilers for all seasons. Aizen is up to something in another realm and the leaders of Soul Society have sent Ichigo and a team to investigate. Things become even more complicated once plots are discovered and histories uncovered. Bleach crossover.  
**Disclaimer:** No own Bleach or Naruto. I know this is not an original idea, but I like to think I've done an original-like spin on the Bleach/Naruto crossover. I'm ridiculously bad at up dating so don't expect a timely schedule or anything.  
**Date:** _edited_ 7/4/08  
**A/N:** For those of you who have read this when it was the first chapter before the edit, you may want to re-read it. I changed a few things.

* * *

He ran, sweeping through the trees from branch to branch. The excitement of finally going home spurring him on. Konohagakure; he'd been away on a special mission, yet again, for nearly a year this time; training and getting stronger under Jiraiya's tutelage. After everything that had happened with Sasuke and Jiraiya getting hurt, he needed to get stronger. He needed to save Sasuke, to keep his promise to Sakura and to himself. Ultimately, he needed to be strong enough to protective all his precious people. Trouble was brewing for Konoha again, he knew, despite what Jiraiya wasn't telling him.

Naruto was lost in his thoughts, still a few hours away from Konoha and passing a small farming village, when suddenly a creepy feeling overcame him. His eyes widened and he came to a dead stop on the next tree branch. He turned slowly in the direction of the village. From what he remembered the people in there where still rebuilding with the help of some retired shinobi and the few genin teams that could be spared. He'd never been there before, but had seen a few people from Konoha leave to help out. He remembered Tsunade baa-chan saying something about the growing population despite the threat Orochimaru presented and the need for more crop sources. He understood that. With the freaky snake sannin out there, and the Sound village still a threat, safe trade routs were becoming few and far in between.

That was all over a year ago. Months before he'd left and long before they'd heard that Orochimaru was dead.

He was starting to shake, even thought it wasn't cold. The air was so think he felt like he was running out of oxygen. Naruto knew he was panicking, but for the world he couldn't move. Frozen in place by the shear weight of the demonic energy coming from just a mile or two away. This was a power that called out to something deep within him, pulsing like a heartbeat. He was afraid of what it could mean.  
_  
Na --Nani? What is this feeling? I can't move. I CAN'T MOVE! I --I've got to get out of here!_ He thought in a rush. Yet he made no move to leave. It was as if the pressure was caving in on him. He frantically thought that maybe he had been caught in a genjutsu. But that couldn't be right. this didn't feel like any genjutsu he'd ever been under or near. In fact, it didn't feel like a jutsu of any kind.

Especially since he started to hear it even over the sound of flocks of birds fleeing from the trees. It was a horrible sound that gave off waves of sorrow, anger, and hatred. Chills ran up his spine and continued to rack his body at the pure blood-lus_t_. He was starting to feel sick and wanted to get out of there, fast, but couldn't move an inch. He heard the scream --the _howl_--again, followed by a thunderous crash and then, nothing.

The wind blew; sweeping leaves up, around, and past Naruto. He quivered one last time before his body gave out and he collapsed from the lack of oxygen in a dead faint.

XX

Something was tickling his nose. He wished it would go away but was feeling too lazy to swipe it off. He turned over instead and smiled lazily as he felt the warmth of the sun on his face. He knew he should get up, that there were things to be done. He continued to sleep wondering when his room smelt so fresh and how his bed had gotten so hard. He thought that perhaps it was time to get a new one. If he could afford it. Maa. Despite the hardness he was reluctant to even open his eyes let alone move to get up.

He took in a deep breath as a breeze blew over him. Lazily his eyes opened just a bit, still too dazed with a sleep addled mind. _That was such a weird dream. _He sat up quickly; fast enough to make any 'normal' person dizzy. "Outside?" he questioned looking around. It all came back to him then, going home, that _odd_ feeling--and then. . . He'd never felt the Kyuubi react so strongly. The _damn_ fox had nearly suffocated him.

He laughed, embarrassed. "What kind-of ninja faints for no reason at all? It's a good thing no one was around. I'd never be able to live this down!" Scratching the back of his head, Naruto took a deep breath of the breeze that began to blow again, pretending to ignore the tell-tale sounds of someone--or something--approaching from behind as he took in the scent.

"_Na-ru-to_!"

"**GAHH**!!" came the unmanly shriek. He nearly jumped out of his skin at the sudden angry, frustrated, and annoyed voicing of his name. "Don't _do_ that!" he said as he spun around to face his sensei. He proceeded to cross his arms and pout as Jiraiya landed on his bottom, clutching his stomach and began to laugh uproariously.

"And what's so funny?" Naruto demanded raising a fist before him in a fighting stance.

"You, you knuckle headed,_ gaki,_ shouldn't have run off without me!" Jiraiya yelled. He had jumped to a standing position, getting into the same raised fist stance as Naruto--only slightly hunched over to be more on eye level with the boy. Though, it would be hard to tell since neither truly had their eyes open, being scrunched so tight in the glare sent between the two.

"Mada mada dane, gaki," muttered Jiraiya shaking his head. Naruto was grumbling under his breath. The only words Jiraiya could make out suspiciously sounded like 'ero-sennin,' and 'baka hentai.' He tilted his head to the sky and once again asked Kami-sama exactly _why_ had he agreed to spend so much time with the kid. The two and a half years spent with Naruto before should have been enough of a warning. Though, he knew he wouldn't trade this last year in for anything. Well, maybe for more research time with the la--

"Are you coming, Ero-sennin-jii?" Naruto called out from a tree branch several yards away. He turned back and raced off as Jiraiya chased after him.

"I'm not old!"

* * *

Asukune. That was the name of their target. Just a young woman. A girl. She was no older than Naruto and yet she posed as much danger as-- if not more than-- Orochimaru had. He'd gotten the message just like everyone else. Delivered by ANBU. Tsunade-sama knew how to get their attention, that was for sure. No one would ignore or take their time with a summons that had been hand delivered by one of the ANBU squad. So he'd left immediately, not too far behind the ANBU who'd given him the note.

Shikamaru was feeling annoyed. Not only had he been called in on a meeting for a mission, but he was asked to lead the team even though today was supposed to be his day to rest. So troublesome, he thought. He turned from looking out the only window in the Hokage office to face her again. It didn't matter if he liked it or not, paying attention to the information being given was a must.

". . . I don't expect this to be a very long mission, and stealth is not a high priority. Your goal is to simply discern if what is being rumored is true and to gain visual on the target. The numbers are a precaution and to help the mission move faster. I don't want you gone for too long. I have a bad feeling that something may be coming our way," Tsunade half muttered the last to herself as she glanced back down at her winning hand of cards. A full house could only mean more trouble than she'd like to deal with.

"I want you all back here by nightfall in two days. Dismissed."

As the last of the seven man team disappeared from her sight, she released the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. Dropping into the chair behind her desk Tsunade let her head fall onto the short stack of mission reports. "_Nande_?" she moaned out load. "Why did I let the little brat talk me into this?" Even years after having accepted the position, she still cursed it.

She started to fish around in one of many draws in the desk. "Where is it!" Pushing back some files her hand finally came in contact with the object of her search.

"Yatta!"

"Had I known that would be the greeting on my arrival I would have come earlier."

Lifting her head to look for the owner of the voice, Tsunade glanced from the silver haired Jonin on her windowsill to the bottle of sake in her right hand. She heaved a relenting sigh, giving the sake bottle one last lingering look before placing it back where she'd found it. Sitting up, she went about straightening out the papers on her desk and watched the copy ninja out the corner of her eye.

"What are you doing here, Hatake-san?" she asked with the barest hint of cold in her voice. Tsunade really didn't feel like putting up with Kakashi at the moment.

"I know you sent the brats out to for intel," he started, all playfulness gone. "I thought you were going to send me."

The seriousness in Kakshi's voice caught her attention. "Are you questioning my judgement, Hatake-san?"

"Of course not, Hokage-sama."

She lifted an eyebrow, clearly not believing him. Their conversation from the previous day flitted through her mind.

. . . . . ._  
__"There's been rumors from the other hidden villages of a organization. Everything has been quiet for a while now. Too long if you ask me. I've been waiting for something to happen and it finally has. At least, that's what the reports coming back from the borders have been saying. I need you to gather at least three other men and be ready to leave in three days."_

_"Leave for where?"_

_"I'll let you know when the time is up. Bring your team back here once you've decided. And please, get as much rest as possible. I have a feeling this mission is going to be tough."_

_"Worse than Orochimaru or Pein?"_

_"Its yet to be seen, though there is the possibility."_

_"The enemy?"_

_"Surprisingly enough it's a young female this time. Possibly two. They're not from any of the hidden villages and yet she posses enough ability to go up against Madaara. Do you know who the Hizoku are?"_

_"Never heard of them."_

_"That's not surprising. No one is sure who they are or when they sprung up. They're ninja, of course, but not nukenin. At least those who have been spotted don't swear fealty to any of the villages and no one new has been recorded in the Bingo books."_

_"Aa."_

_"Not only that, but it has been rumored that she bested one of the Akatsuki. No one knows which one. And it has yet to be discovered if the Hizoku have anything to do with Pein--or Madara."_

_"What is the mission exactly?"_

_"You are to find out who she is and what threat the Hizoku pose."_

_"You think they could be after Naruto? Or behind the disturbances?"_

_"That's beside the point. I don't even understand it much myself, those _incidents._ That's why I'm not sending the ANBU. You are dismissed."  
. _. . . . .

Kakashi had been the only person she'd spoke to of a a mission then and was glad she hadn't sent him out right then. "Things have changed." She rubbed at her temples feeling a migraine coming on. "I recieved a missive form Jiraiya. He and Naruto are headed back." Tsunade had begun to say more but was cut off by the load commotion outside the door.

Just then, Shizune rushed into the room, her hands empty, hair wild and out of breath. "Tsunade-sama! There's been an attack."

* * *

**A/N:** Hope you've the chapter, it actually makes some sense now. The part between Kakashi and Tsunade at least. I think I may have clarified some things with Naruto in the beginning, if not, point it out so I can see what I can do about it.


	3. Chapter 3

**Title:** Flesh and Bone  
**Chapter:** 3  
**Words:** 1750  
**Summery:** AU. Spoilers for all seasons. Aizen is up to something in another realm and the leaders of Soul Society have sent Ichigo and a team to investigate. Things become even more complicated once plots are discovered and histories uncovered. The world as Naruto knows it has just gotten bigger and life that much more complicated. Bleach crossover.  
**Disclaimer:** No own Bleach or Naruto. I know this is not an original idea, but I like to think I've done an original-like spin on the Bleach/Naruto crossover. I'm ridiculously bad at up dating so don't expect a timely schedule or anything.  
**Date:** _edited/re-post _7/4/08  
**A/N:** Not too much to say here. Don't remember what all was changed except that it's not in the order previous readers would recognize. So read or don't read at your own risk.

* * *

Naruto let out an uncharacteristic sigh. He knew what had happened to him back there. He was refusing to admit it though. Denial was a tricky thing, but after having come this far in his life he refused to let such a paralyzing fear over come him for yet a third time. He'd never thought he would feel like he had years ago with Gaara. What had happened in Lee's hospital room would never be forgotten by him. It was in that moment when he knew true fear and not just for what was before him, but for what he could have become, for what was inside of him. _Kyuubi._

He failed.

Jaraiya and Naruto were taking a break just off the less traveled path they were traveling along. Naruto remembered the old Sannin saying that he wanted them to get to Konoha with no incidents and by avoiding the towns they would have normally stopped in, they were decreasing the chances of being noticed. Naruto didn't know about that. He was pretty sure that like any other time, if someone really wanted to find him (them), then they were sure to do so anyway. Why give up the perfect opportunity for ramen?

Not long after they'd packed everything away and started back out did it happen; the same feeling from before had overcome him. Only this time Naruto didn't hear the terrifying howl, but the power was condensed and multiplied.

"Naruto!" Jaraiya yelled out. Naruto couldn't focus enough to think let alone answer his sensei. "Naruto, mov--dammit!"

It was beyond too late to move. Jaraiya had been caught, unable to move his limbs. He'd tried to move out of the strange jutsu's reach. It was no use. It had him within moments before his noticing. The same jutsu didn't seem to be affecting Naruto as he could see the fine tremors racking the boys frame. There was only so much he could do against the more rare advanced shadow manipulations. He was sure not even the Nara's could do this much.

A woman quite literally sprung up from the ground not far from Naruto. So that's the base of the jutsu. There just may be something I can do about this yet, Jaraiya thought. He was stuck in an awkward position less than a yard from the center edge of the shadow barrier. As he watched the girl attack Naruto he wondered if the jutsu prohibited sound from within it. That would have to be alright, though. He'd just have to use his feet.

* * *

A group of deer grazed in the thin litter of trees before a wide open field of rolling grass. The sky was bright and cloudy with birds chirping and calling out. The deer shifted, one doe looking over towards the stream that flowed on though the forest. The wind blew, shifting from the scent of the water to that of a young human male. The doe looked in the direction the male scent was blown from, hind legs tensing and edging nervously back into the cover of trees at the sight of orange.

"Argh!" Kurosaki Ichigo screamed as he shot up, clutching at his head. The doe turned sharply and quickly joined the others running into the forest at the harsh sound of Ichigo's scream.

"That actually hurt," he muttered to himself while looking around. "You've got to be kidding me. Why is it that every time we have to force our way into a place we get Split UP!" His voice raised in anger frightening a group of birds in the trees.

He stood up, rubbing that back of his head, knocking flecks of dirt and grass from his unusual orange hair. _How am I supposed to find anyone in this? _He thought. Even after being told about The Continent this was just more than he expected. There was a forest to his right, an expanse of rolling green grass to his left with mountains in the distant, and a river that seemed to flow from the mountains to the forest, crossing before him. _It truly is a world unto itself._

The river drew his attention the most. Even from where he stood in his black Shinigami clothing— Zangpaktou strapped on his back— he could see the small unmoving form of a black cat.

_Yoruichi!_ His mind screamed. Racing over to her, he carefully picked up her drenched form. "Just great, I'm stuck with a wet cat." His tone belied the worry in his eyes, not knowing what he would do if she proved to be hurt. He was better at fighting and protecting, not healing. _That's Orihime's department_. His eyes glazed over for a moment before he shook the thoughts from his head. Orihime wasn't there, and he couldn't waste any time wishing that she were.

Adjusting his shihakusho he made room to lay Yoruichi in. Making sure she would be comfortable and secure between his kimono and kusode before trying to figure out in which direction they should travel.

He turned sharply to the forest. Even with his meager ability (or lack of it) to sense spiritual energy, he could feel the presence of an Arrancar.

"At least now I know we've come to the right place." He said to no one in particular. The near silence was killing him. He was so use to having someone yapping annoyingly at his ears or the sounds of a city/town like back home. Home. He hoped his sisters— and even his crazy old man— was alright. Tatsuki and the others had assured him that they'd keep watch, just in case any hallows would show up. He was sure Isshin could handle anything else that swung their way, though he still couldn't help but to worry.

Stilling his resolve and frantic mind, Ichigo reminded himself that his friends and family were the reason he was here (_Where ever here happens to be); _to protect them. So he took off into the forest, heading for the Arrancar he could feel hoping that he would find the others there as well.

* * *

He was stunned. The attack had come out of nowhere and his mind was reeling at the possibilities. He couldn't understand how they could have been caught off guard, or how they could have been caught in the first place. This was Jiraiya, the Great Toad Sennin. There was just _no way_ that _Ero-Senin_ was now vulnerable and open to attack. Besides, he was Uzumaki Naruto, Number One Knuckle-headed Ninja and container of the Kyuubi.

But that wasn't helping him now; Wasn't like it ever did, he thought spitefully. That wasn't true though. Even if having the Kyuubi sealed inside of him brought him a world of trouble more than a few times, there were still those times where without it he would have never made it this far. he thought fiercely .

He couldn't tell which village this girl was from; not with two h_I would have never been able to protect those precious to me, _headbands—one with the symbol for _Sound_ and the other with _Sand_—neither of which were scratched. _So she's not a missing nin; Maybe they're trophies from her previous kills and she's looking to garner an even bigger one by defeating a Sannin and a jinkurichi._ He spat in his mind.

"Hey, what do you want?" He asked in a half yell. He would have thought her pretty if she wasn't instigating a fight. She had silver-white hair that reminded him of Sakura's before she had cut it and a face of soft features that would have made him think her incapable of malice. But then, he would have thought the same thing of Sakura if he didn't know her.

The girl just smiled, showing off perfect white teeth, golden eyes sparkling. "It's nothing personal, Uzumaki-kun." It was the only thing she said before attacking.

_She didn't even give her name_.

Naruto had to think fast, he hadn't been up against someone with such speed since Sasuke or Lee. She was on him before he could move away fast enough. Having turned almost too late, her shin caught him in the side, making him stumble and slide just a bit. He held his footing, having managed to block her next attack. He wouldn't lie though, she not only had speed, but power behind her attacks as well. It was going to take more brain power than he currently had to defeat her and whomever else she happened to bring with.

"Nothing personal?" Naruto growled out as he deflected her kunai with one of his own. "Does it really matter if it's personal or not? You people are all the same. You'll never change, will you? I'm tired of this!"

He pushed away from her, both of them of them sliding back to the edges of their make shift cage. A cut appeared across Naruto's cheek. He smirked as blood started to slide down the girl's right arm. They had managed to nick each other. His smirk turned into a full blown cheeky smile as his opponent sneered at her marred arm. If this wasn't a life or death situation he would have had more fun in fighting her.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" No less than ten Narutos stood in the clearing smoke, all wearing the same amused expression--trade-mark Uzumaki smirk. "Bring it on lady!"

Three of the Narutos charged at her with Kunai in hand. She twirled around to face them. Having taken a dagger out she blocked their attack, kicking one of the clones in the head. As it disappeared another clone shot out of the smoke, a feral expression on it's face, striking at her with his fist. Two more clones joined in. She fought them all with taijutsu. She used her forearm to block the fist and then flipped the clone over her shoulder to knock into and destroy two other clones.

In the midst of the smoke the real Naruto took to the air, throwing three well aimed shuriken. They struck their target, only for it to disappear and be replaced by--"A Note!" Naruto yelled incredulously. She was playing with him and he didn't know how he felt about that.

Near simultaneously several of Naruto's clones disbursed. "Huh? Where is she? Come on out and finish this." He looked around, trying to spot her. There wasn't anywhere she could have hidden. Unless. . .

The sharp edge of a dagger pressed into the soft flesh of his neck. "I've got you now, Naruto-_kun._

* * *

**A/N:** I'm tired. It's ridiculous to have to go back and re-do the formatting even when you upload the files. Which is why I'll never get beyond about 2,000 or 3,000 words.

* * *


	4. Chapter 4

**Title:** Flesh and Bone  
**Chapter:** 4  
**Words: **2260  
**Summery:** AU. Spoilers for all seasons. Aizen is up to something in another realm and the leaders of Soul Society have sent Ichigo and a team to investigate. Things become even more complicated once plots are discovered and histories uncovered. Bleach crossover.  
**Disclaimer:** No own _Bleach_ or _Naruto._ I know this is not an original idea, but I like to think I've done an original-like spin on the Bleach/Naruto crossover. I'm ridiculously bad at up dating so don't expect a timely schedule or anything.  
**Date:** 7/5/08  
**A/N: **Here is the last of the revamped chapters, and I tell ya, it was harder than it seems to go back and re-work chapters. I've made them longer than previous and nearly doubled the amount of words that were originally written. Oh, I ache. I've spent the last 12 hours working on the final re-write of my Harry Potter story and this story. Must sleep.

* * *

--oOo--

* * *

Kakashi was a mile away from the village—still too far from his destination. He'd left Tsunade, possibly getting himself into serious trouble by leaving Konoha, while she'd deployed two teams from the _Ninju Shotai_. He hadn't stuck around long enough to hear what they were going after, though it wasn't hard to figure out. The occurrence of those _pulses_ of energy had started to spike again. No one quite knew what they were, but he had a gut feeling it had something to do with Naruto. Lately, lots of things had something to do with the blonde brat in one way or another.

Another mile. He wasn't too far away now. He was following closely behind his Ninken, their howls reaching his ears even through the rush of wind.

He didn't like this, if he was honest with himself. He didn't like how the boy, _Naruto_, had gotten under his skin, how he was almost constantly worried about him now-a-days. He was a ninja and ninja couldn't dash into the heat of trouble—especially not with this sort of baggage. It was that sort of thing that leads to. . .

No, he wouldn't go down that road. Naruto wasn't Minato-sensei, or Rin, or Obito. He could be an idiot at times, but he always pulled out on top. _Besides,_ Kakashi reasoned with himself. _I'm already out here, might as well keep going._

He felt four chakra signs headed his way fast. Pakkun appeared at his side as he came to a stop. There was no telling who they could be so he stayed on guard, pulling out a few shurikan.

Kakashi relaxed as the four people came into view. It was just Ebisu and his team.

"Kakashi-san!" Ebisu called out in greeting. "You feel it too, don't you?" He asked, pushing up his black, round sunglasses with one finger, his right arm fisted on his hip. There was a low, vibrating hum of power unlike what they were use to feeling. It wasn't so far from their 

position and Ebisu had a hunch that they'd passed it by just before it let loose.

"Feel what? What's going on!"

Kakashi ignored the yelling of the young boy with spiked brown hair. Konohamaru reminded him a lot of Naruto; in that they were both loud and annoying. This wasn't their mission, it wasn't even his mission. Yet if Ebisu didn't object, he wouldn't turn down the back-up.

Though he was reluctant to mention Naruto's name in hearing range of the genin —knowing that all three were close to Naruto —he knew that having Ebisu around could come in handy if there was more than one enemy. "**He**'s there," he said. Kakashi hoped that Ebisu would understand the emphasis on the 'he' and know whom he was speaking of. "And so is Jiraiya."

"The legendary Sanin?" Ebisu said in awe, his mind travelling back to his first encounter with the man. _Not only do I get to meet the Great Jiraiya again, but I get to fight at his side as well. _"ughm," he cleared his throat loudly, hand fisted before his mouth in moch sign of manners. "Yes well, of course I'll help." _And it's an opportunity to get back at the boy._ He still hadn't gotten over the '_closet perve_' comments or that horrid henge jutsu the boy had taught his most precious pupil.

Kakashi simply nodded, wanting to get moving as soon as possible. "Then follow me." He didn't wait for Ebisu to acknowledge his direction.

Leaping up into the trees he set back on course, Ebisu, Udon, Moegi, and Konohamaru following behind. The genin shouting in protest.

"Are you sure about this, Kakashi?" Pakkun asked while jumping from tree to tree next to Kakashi. "You could be putting the kids in danger."

Kakashi chanced a glance back at the genin. A smile formed on his face, well hidden by his constant black mask. "They'll be fine," he said, tone amused. He didn't doubt that Ebisu would give his life for those three. Besides, they were ninja and this was a fight to protect Kanoha, their home.

* * *

The trees were still, the wind silent. Everything was too quiet for her liking, though trying to scent anything was damn near impossible. That pig of a Akimichi boy had gas and had it bad. Tsume found herself wrinkling her sensitive nose in distaste thinking that perhaps she should start training with a mask not un-similar to Hatake Kakashi's. She put out another burst of speed, leaving her three companions a few meters behind. Maybe now she could find a hint of foreign scent. When they had first set out after the mission debriefing the target had been easy to follow. That had been nearly half an hour ago. They were close, she knew that much. They were coming up on the town Tanzaku Gai; perhaps they could find leads there.

They were fast approaching the gates to the city. It soon became apparent to Tsume--still in the lead--that something wasn't right. She stopped just inside the trees that bordered the town. Raido was the first to catch up with her, Yashiro soon after.

"Akamichi?" She asked in her usual gruff tone of voice.

"Just finishing up," Aoba replied. At the look his two teammates gave him he continued. "You don't want to know."

Tsume growled. They didn't have time for potty brakes. Their mission was relatively simple in explanation; find target--if proven hostile then take them out. She only hoped it would be as simple to carry out.

"It feels strange around here," Choji stated as he came up under the same tree his older teammates were perched on.

The wind blew, fanning Choji's auburn hair out behind him. Tsume stiffened. She'd caught a scent. Just as Choji had said, it was strange. She'd smelled plenty of death before, but nothing like this. Someone, or some_thing_ was carrying an odd scent of death in the town of Tanzaku Gai.

Kuromaru trotted up alongside Choji, surprising no one as they were waiting on him. "There's no one around out here," the one eyed wolf-like dog spoke up. "There is a trail, though--to the west--indication a massive evacuation. Some damage to the surrounding land and on the west wall. Whatever did this is still around."

Tsume nodded in understanding. "We're going in. Kuromaru, you're with Choji. Fan out!" She ordered.

XX

She stood, her team disappearing in different directions into the city. She took the main road, ever conscious of her surrounding. The street and any vendors or buildings along it had been destroyed. There was a crater that ran down it into the town center. The construction on the castle had been in vain; the historic building looked to be cut in half, one side sunken down farther than the other so that it was noticeable even from the distance.

Choji jumped down from the building just on the other side of the west wall. He followed Kuromaru down the lane lined with homes and the ever scattered shop of various kinds. He hoped they found who was behind this and put a stop to them soon. He didn't want Konoha to be attacked next. Definitely not when the attackers were as quick and powerful as the destruction around him suggested.

"Man--what I wouldn't give for a bag of chips. . ." He trailed off, hearing soft whimpers coming from behind some debris. "Hey, you alright?" He called out. The whimpering only got louder. "I'm'a get ya' out of there, okay?" He didn't wait for a reply, not sure if he would get one and set to work removing the fallen planks of wood and stone.

Once done, Choji noted how the kid had been trapped in a bubble of space. The woman on the other hand--he may not have known much about medical jutsu, but he didn't think being crushed was what killed the lady.

"Okaa-san? Okaa-san?" The kid kept wailing.

Korumaru trotted up to them as Choji pulled the crying kid from the wreckage. "Here, let me. I'll take her to those that escaped."

"Sure thing." Choji placed the kid on Korumaru's back and watched as he darted off back the way they had come. He'd turned back around just in time to see something he'd thought he'd never see. There was a man, at least what appeared to be a man, just standing in the air like he was on the ground.

"No way," he mumbled.

* * *

Umino Iruka coughed, spitting out a wad of mucus and blood. "What are these guys?" It was a rhetorical question. Though he still would have liked an answer to it. Shizune appeared beside his knelled form looking no better off than he was. He looked at her questioningly, wondering 

what their next plan of attack would be. They were sent out along with the other team after messengers reported an attack on the two towns surrounding the Leaf village.

"Could they be part of the Akatsuki, or remnants of Orochimaru's do you think?" he asked.

"I don't think they'd be with Orochimaru," she replied wiping the blood from the corner of her bottom lip with her fist. "They don't seem the type. They're with the Akatsuki I'd hope." She stated, eyes never wavering from the enemy as she sought to catch her breath.

Iruka's head jerked around to face her. "Nani? You hope!"

"If they're were with Orochimaru before his defeat, then they're solely _our _enemies. There's no guarantee that any of the other villages or Daiyamo would help us fight them. If they're with Akatsuki, then there's a chance we could form temporary alliances."

He nodded, understanding what she meant. "The Akatsuki are a threat to everyone. But what if they're separate from both?" he asked in terrified wonder.

"Let's hope not." _Konoha has enough to deal with._

XX

None of Shizune's poisons worked against these women and Kotetsu wasn't so sure Izumo's immobilizing agent would work either. They'd both spent months working on their specialized attacks and even more time coordinating them. It had worked in all of their spars, but this would be the real test. He hoped Shizune had another back-up plan just in-case this failed.

He nodded to Izumo, signalling that he was ready to begin.

Shizune and Iruka nodded to each other before leaping off to carry out their end of the plan. _This had better work,_ she thought. She shot several dozen of her poisoned tipped senbon needles at the closest female to her, the one with green hair. _And here I thought Sakura had unusual looks._ The onna leapt out of the way, avoiding most of them while using her sword to deflect the rest. Shizune smirked. That was fine. Everything was going good so far.

Iruka dived a couple yards from Izumo before rolling away. The second female, this one with dark pink hair, followed, foot lightly touching the ground before she did fanciful acrobatics to leap up again. She wasn't fast enough. A sticky syrup-like substance seeped out of the ground before shooting up and grasping the woman around the ankle. She gasped in surprise but unable to do anything else as she struggled uselessly to pull away.  


"_Hariberu!_" the green haired female screamed. She went to help her companion only to be captured by the same dark colored substance; it shot up, wrapping around both her legs. Kotetsu found himself smirking. It was working so far. The substance had completely covered the first woman and began to creep up the arm of the second where her hand made contact with the first's shoulder. _Now only to wait for Izumo to do his thing._

A large conch shell had appeared on the battle field with Kamizuki Izumo crouched on top of it. He had a smirk on his lips that spoke volumes. His right hand rested on the shell and his left did a quick series of one handed seals before he held it at one sign.

Everything happened faster than the _niju shotai_ team had time to comprehend.

In her moment of distraction, a third woman with light blond hair was able to knock Shizune off her perch on top a roof, sending her spiraling to the ground not far behind Kotetsu. There were some quick flashes and the sound of metal against metal before the light-blond woman was tossed into her two trapped companions. There was a flurry of movement and then a barrage of glowing blue arrows flew towards the three women.

Shizune watched, hoping that they met their targets, but was sadly disappointed when they simply dissipated after meeting nothing but air.

Their attention was then drawn to the last female. Her short dark blond hair swayed in the wind, her dark skin glowing in the sun light from her position in the air. There was a sword strapped to her back, but she didn't use. She had in fact not participated in the entire fight and didn't look to be doing anything against the black clad figure with red hair standing against her with his sword drawn.

"Che. Figures we'd run into you before we could even get settled in." Abarai Renji stated as he adjusted his grip to attack the arrancar before him.

Halibel replied as if not hearing him, "So you've finally come." She then disappeared into a black slit in the sky that closed around her like a zipper.

* * *

**A/N:** You've made it through the re-write. I'll try not to have to do this again. It's quite annoying. And I hate when I'm trying to double cheek information that I have and the site I originally checked in at doesn't have the information anymore. GAH! I'm starting to hate the internet.

Oh, hey, I wonder if anyone figured out the surprise in chapter one. It has to do with the planed sequel so no worries about it now if you have figured it out. Off to continue writing my HP epic story that may suck cause I'm in the mood to hate HP right now. The only thing I like about the 5th movie --that I am not watching-- is Luna. And no, I do not ship HP/LL. I don't particularly ship Harry anyone even though I have my likes and dislikes. Infact, I'm all for Harry being shipped off to a sanatorium.

Okay, enough HP. You all can go now. And thanks for the reviews and adding to favorites or alerts.


	5. Chapter 5

**Title:**Flesh and Bone  
**Chapter:** 5  
**Words:** 2,450  
**Date:** 10/16/08  
**Disclaimer:** I'm not Japanese.  
**A/N:** I apologize for this chapter. I was stuck for a while trying to figure out how I wanted it to go and wrote several version. None of them I like. I decided to go with the more complete one.

* * *

**Ch. 5  
**

There was a slight mist in the air from the waterfall. It clung to the shaded clearing surrounded by a forest of thick, tall trees. His gaze was turned up to the sky, watching the last rays of light from his separated comrades. The short, child-like captain of the 10th division turned his teal-emerald eyes on his fukitaicho who was slowly starting to walking the perimeter of the area below the cliff he was perched on.

He looked to the other side of the expanse of water, noting how the rock was carved into the shape of two people -- one on either side. He jumped down to the rock face on the other side of the cliff he stood on. Crouching down he noticed the feel of the ground, the cuts and scratched on the rock behind him and realized that it couldn't be from natural weathering. A battle had been fought there. But the tracks were old; years old.

"I don't like the feel of this place," Rangiku announced. Her arms were wrapped around under her bust, she looked at the two stone faces from shore.

"There's something more going on here than what we've been told," and he had a feeling that it was the reason why Aizen Sosuke had chosen to come here.

"Taichou!"

Before Hitsugaya could turn to see what it was, he felt the arms of his second in command close around him and found his face stuffed between her well endowed chest.

"Let's go find the others." Toushirou could feel his eye twitch and the scowl pull at his lip as she finally let him go. Before he could say anything more she was headed off in the direction they'd fell from.

* * *

Renji scowled as he rested his zanpakuto on his shoulder. He let himself fall to the ground before walking over to the small group of people that were just now noticing Ishida and Rukia. They were pretty beat up, though no more than a training session with anyone from squad 11 would put him in. He was surprised the four man group had survived, let alone lasted in a fight as long as they had against one of the Espada. _Feh! That petty little bitch was playing with them_, he thought.

Shizune was immediately on the defensive, sliding her uninjured leg out just a bit and holding up a kunai as Iruka supported her weight. "Who are you," she bit out with suspicion. These people were strange; unlike anyone she had encountered even on her extensive travels with Tsunade -hime. She really would rather her leg not be injured so that she could have one of them with a kunai to the neck. They made her skin crawl.

"Well?" She demanded again.

"You're an impertinent one for just getting your butts saved." Renji's scowl deepened.

Rukia's eyes closed with a twitch and her fist clenched. "Idiot!" she screeched as she punched Renji over the head. "Introduce yourself first."

He raised his fist to her but knew better than to retaliate. "You'd think they'd be a _little_ more grateful." He immediately stood straight as Rukia's glare intensified. There really wasn't a point in trying to argue with her; she'd win every time. "Abari Renji, desu," he muttered before turning his back on them.

Despite the situation they were just in and the appearance of the strangely dressed trio, Iruka found himself smiling. They reminded him of team seven -- back when things were less complicated.

Rukia frowned. They wouldn't get anywhere with the natives if Renji's imposing attitude and Ishida's haughtiness made them more enemies first. So she stepped forward, hand held out, with a smile that she hoped was disarming --but came off as more than a little awkward. "Watashi wa Kuchiku Rukia desu. We come in peace." She chuckled nervously at the looks she received. _Could you have said anything stupider?!_ she yelled at herself.

Renji's scowl disappeared after hearing that and he palmed his face in shame. "And you're calling_ me_ the baka!?" He screamed incredulously.

"Don't worry," Ishida spoke for the first time. "I'm sure they have realized that you both are idiots," he finished in his usual monotone, indifferent voice. "Ishida Uryuu," he stated. "We know how to deal with the Arrancar -- the ones you were fighting," he clarified at their confused looks. "They are our enemies as well." He took his signature stance, pushing up his glasses with his right hand while his left arm hung down by his side.

The quick to anger chunin school teacher spared the be-speckled teenager a glance before turning back to the awkward pair. Neither of them could have been much older than Naruto and much like the hyperactive pseudo-brother of his, they were loud. He was nearly reminded of priests that resided in the mountains or those of the Hyuuga clan from their way of dress. The impression was stronger even more so from the one in white. But of course their personalities and demeanor ruined the effect.

The redhead, _Abarai -san_, he reminded himself, was strange looking -- yet no stranger looking than some shinobi he knew or came across. The boy -- _man_ -- had black tattoos in place of eyebrows that angled up into his hairline on both sides. He hazard a guess that the markings continued on in unforeseen parts of Renji's body. The girl was rather normal looking; shorter than her two companions with her hair cut short around her face, one piece over her nose.

"I believe we should hold off on any further explanations before speaking with someone in charge." Said Uryuu.

Renji was grumbling now; looking more than put out as he was held back from attacking their '_comrade'_ by the collar of his yukata. Iruka found himself uncertain of the new comers -- yet still amused. "I don't think it will do any harm to take them back to the village with us."

"They do seem to know an awful lot about those women we fought." Izumo stated crouched near Iruka and Shizune.

"At least more than we do at any rate."

They needn't have tried to convince her when she'd been thinking the same. "Right. I'm sure the Houkage would like to meet them. Let's go."

* * *

Running over the trees just a meeter behind Neji left Shikamaru enough room to land on the next branch beside the long haired Jonin. "Hinata, do you see that?" It was unlike him to be asking for a second opinion. This had Shikamaru on guard. _There's just no way we could have run into trouble this close to the village._

"Yes," the young medic answered landing on a lower branch to their right. "There's a massive gathering of chakra. Nearly a kilometer away."

"It could be more," Neji stated. "There's so much of it, it's hard to tell the exact distance."

Sakura and Ino were just behind Hinata, Ino looking uninterested and Sakura slightly concerned. "You don't think. . ." She trailed off.

"I don't think so. The consiquences of that being the case don't look good." Shikamaru shook his head. The thought that their mission's target could have not only gotten this close but escaped notice of the ANBU and Hunter nin in the forest was frightening.

"Someones headed right for it." Neji announced with his usual disinterested tone of voice. "Are we going to investigate?" He directed towards Shikamaru.

He looked at his team -- Shino being the only one stooped and quiet while Lee was just underneath them on the ground shouting about defending "Youth-ly endeavors" -- before turning his head skyward. _How troublesome._ He rolled his head to the side, rubbing at his neck, before exhaling. "We've got a mission to do. That's five minutes out of the way. More if we get caught in something dangerous--"

He was cut off by a gasp from Hinata which had everyone but Neji looking to her. "It's gone."

"She's right," Neji cofirmed. "What every it was, it's been dealt with."

"Let's keep going then." Shikamaru ordered before setting off.

* * *

. . . . . . . . . .

_There was no wind blowing and all he could hear was his hearting thudding fast in his chest and his attacker entirely too close to his ear for comfort. She'd back flipped in a high ark after disposing the last clone he'd hidden, gracefully avoiding the attack. _Shit_. He moved his front foot some, widening his stance._

_"You're as good as they say you are," she said with a smile, licking the shell of his ear. "Holder of the Nine Tails demon fox."_

_"I knew it," Naruto seethed suppressing the urge to struggle. "You're after Kyuubi!"_

_"Kyuubi? What would I need a bijuu for?" She chuckled lowly._

_"Huh?" Naruto narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "Then why are you attacking me? Why have you been following us?" Jiraiya's concentration nearly faltered. He hadn't realized that Naruto noticed the tailing. "Answer me!" The golden haired ninja shouted after no response._

_"It's simple," came her soft voice. "The Hizou no Hizoku wishes to test you."_

_"Test me?"_

_"Are you worthy, Uzumaki- kun? There are those who would gladly see you rise!"_

The Hizou?_ Ichigo wondered. "So Aizen's been here long enough to corrupt more people, has he?" Both the girl and Naruto turned to Ichigo as he walked past Jiraiya. "You're not the one. Who else is with you?" He could feel the spiritual power of an Arrancar, pulsating as though beaconing him nearer. It was different than what he was use to back home, but the energy was still that of an arrancar. There was no mistaking it._

_Naruto was stunned in awe at what he was seeing. He knew he was acting like a rookie genin, but he couldn't help it. The orange haired guy had appeared out of nowhere, power leaking off him so strong that it nearly made him crash to his knees. _Wow, this guy is something else_._

. . . . . . . . . .

"And breaking that barrier they had up was pretty easy after Kurosaki here showed up." Jiraiya interrupted Naruto's report. The boy was jumping ahead in his excitement of being back home.

"Alright then, explain it again." Tsunade demanded. Before her stood eleven people, not all of whom belonged in Kanoha. "How did you just happen along at the right moment? How'd you know there was someone else there?" She thought it terribly convenient that the four strangers appeared in the nick of time to help out her men. No matter how the rude redhead put it, she refused to call it saving their lives.

"And show some respect, boy!" She directed at Renji who was looking off to the side muttering under his breath. She caught the short, black haired girl elbow him in the side. "You're in my village, might I remind you. I've no reason to believe your _good _intentions."

Ichigo stepped forward with a growl. "Hey, lady. I really don't care whose village this is, but we're all you've got to fight against the Espada."

"Oi! I thought you said they were ar-ran-car!" Naruto scratched his head in confusion stumbling over the strange word. He wasn't the only one that could attest to the fact that Ichigo had called their attackers something different.

Heaving a sigh, Ichigo decided to start from the beginning; the very beginning. "When someone dies and their heart is full of rage and pain and they hold onto the place of their death they can and will turn into a hallow if they're not taken care of before then. When they finally turn into the beasts, into hallows, they start to feed on other souls. The place where hallows are from is called Hueco Mundo. A guy named Aizen use to be a captain in the Gotei 13. The bastard betrayed everyone in Soul Society and took over Hucueo Mundo, giving powerful hallows Shinigami powers. They turned into Arrancar, but Aizen's elite group call themselves the Espada."

"Halibel and her cohorts, the ones we fought," Rukia added to help with any lingering confusion, "are part of the Espada."

"Well, the guy we fought was a shinobi, a missing nin in fact. He had a scratched hitai-ate," said Naruto, thinking back on the fight between him and the _Hizou_ lady.

. . . . . . . .  
_The deranged white haired girl had had him, a kunai pressed tightly against the flesh of his throat. He wasn't sure what sort of jutsu Jiraiya had done or how Ichigo had broken the barrier with his sword. All he knew was that the woman had loosened her hold on him and when he'd gotten away to attack she was held to the ground by two toad hands. Then Ichigo had jumped in front of him looking like he'd come from a funeral._

_He hadn't even noticed when Kakashi had gotten there, but his old sensei was now holding the woman in the same position he'd been in before. And some guy was coughing up and covered in weird green slime near Jiraiya. The freakishly powerful orange haired guy had his huge sword pointed at the slime covered man as Jiraiya crouched down a few feet away from him._

_"Who the hell is that guy?"_

_Naruto looked up to see to the genin team that use to follow him around all the time. "Konohamaru. Udon, Moegi. And closet perve!" He finished accusingly. "What are you doing here?"_

_The question was ignored in favor of listening to Jiraiya questioned the two ninja. "Rather creative way of breaking my shadow barrier. Drowning a man in a toad guts." The guy was odd, dressed in white, a short sword strapped upside down across his chest, and he had some sort of mask covering the lower half of his face. The hetai-ate on his forehead had the symbol of sound and all Naruto could think of was Orochimaru and Sasuke._ _  
_. . . . . . . . . .

"No, that man was dead. A powerful spirit that's been turned into a hallow and given shinigami powers." Ichigo reiterated.

"Chotto mate," Tsunade stopped him with a frown. "You keep saying _Shinigami_. What does the death god have to do with this?"

* * *

**Tbc...**

* * *

**A/N:**Yeah; I got lazy and decided to cut it off there. I needed a stopping point and thought this was as good as any.


End file.
